"So it goes."

This is my first tattoo. I actually waited until I was 30 to get it, and I am glad that I did. I love Slaughterhouse-Five, and use this quote as a constant reminder not to dwell on things that I cannot control. As a teacher, it has started more than one conversation with students that didn’t necessarily trust authority figures and wanted someone that could relate to them, however small a degree.

The font was somewhat custom, a mix of two or three Microsoft Word fonts.

I’ve read Slaughterhouse-Five countless times over the last few years; it always reads a different way. Each time I get a different insight, a new understanding of the book. There’s too many feelings to express what Vonnegut sums up in three words; So it goes.

“And Lot’s wife, of course, was told not to look back where all those people and their homes had been. But she did look back, and I love her for that, because it was so human.

So she was turned to a pillar of salt. So it goes.”

This belongs to Erika.

This is the ‘Slaughterhouse-Five‘ tattoo I got just after graduating from uni. I was introduced to the book in my first week and the repetition of the line throughout it really stuck with me even when many of the others in my class found it an insensitive reaction to the tragedies in the story. Long story short, I had a hard time at uni, I didn’t make friends and slowly got more separated from the ones I did have. At its core I’ve always thought ‘so it goes’ is a lamentation on and an acceptance of the bad, while understanding things were good once and will be good again. I figured it was a fitting goodbye to 4 years that were really hard and I wouldn’t change, but was happy to leave behind.

This belongs to Josh.

I just got this yesterday [ed. note: submitted April 2013] and was comparing to other people with the same tattoo. My name is Josh Howell, and I’m a professor in Norfolk, VA! This is on my left arm.

So it goes: life is an endless cycle not excluding death and moving on. No losses are irrevocable: in the past, the present and the future, life will remain in existence. And in life, love will always be there.

This belongs to Clarisse.

I got this tattoo on my ribs in white ink in the font American Typewriter. This was my first tattoo and probably the only quote i will ever have on my body. It’s a much more eloquent reminder that shit happens and life goes on and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it besides keep on living.

The first square is my first attempt to capture what I wanted for my tattoo. The remaining three shows the cover-up that I now love. It was done by Amber Anderson at Brave New World Tattoo in Upland, and she did such an excellent job at turning my idea into reality. It is our rendition of a Tralfamadorian ship, with a banner trailing behind. Like many others, “so it goes” means so much to me. It has become my mantra in the face of loss, tragedy, and hurt, but it also reminds me to enjoy the sweeter moments with more appreciation and thoughtfulness.

This belongs to Courtney.

I had no idea that anyone else had this tattoo and then I stumbled across this website. You have So it Goes Saturdays!! Haha. None of my friends or family are big readers so everyone thought it was a dumb tattoo..or didn’t get it. It’s nice to know I kinda have a whole army of people that fell in love with this wonderful piece of literature the way I did.

I plan on getting a few more tattoos, all literary. My only non literary tattoo is “Let it Be” Gotta rep my Beatles :)

It’s done in white ink which would be why it’s difficult to see on my pale skin.

I worry about everything and anything. I’m pretty much a ball of stress and I keep all of it in my shoulders. I’ve always like the expression/book and one day I found myself thinking it when I was overwhelmed. Now I have a reminder to take a deep breath and accept that some things are just going to happen.

This belongs to Cassandra.

My reason for getting it is that I feel it is always important to remember that life is transient, both the good and the bad. Vonnegut keeps me humble and looking forward.

The quote is from Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse Five”. I did not know that when I got the tattoo, I had just seen it on Pinterest and got it at ‘Kingdom Within Tattoo studio’ during my holidays in Iceland last February ;-)

This belongs to Bryce Cole, who got the tattoo on his birthday (July 6, 2013).

This belongs to Fox.

I read Slaughterhouse Five for the first time when I was 18 and it is one of my favourite novels. I got the tattoo to remind me not to get caught up in things that have happened that I can’t change, to live as if I’ll be forever unstuck in time like the Tralfamadorians. The font is Bookman, the original font Vonnegut used, as I wanted the words to look the same as in my book.

I got the tattoo as a reminder to go with the flow, to not sweat the small stuff, and to enjoy every moment because life is fleeting. As someone who has a tendency to stress over relatively minor issues, I definitely need the reminder. Above it is a physics equation that I feel compliments the phrase as well. It states that the change in entropy over time of a system (in this case, the universe) is always greater than or equal to zero. A very oversimplified (and mildly inaccurate) way of describing this, is to say that the amount of disorder in the universe is always increasing or staying the same. Better not to fuss about it. Just enjoy the ride.

This belongs to Jenni.

I love that I will be able to see it always and it reminds me to let things go and focus on what really matters. It was made in Stockholm, Sweden at a place called Saint Tattoo in Sundbyberg.